


Not The Best Way To Start

by teaandtumblr



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, Mugiwara no Ichimi | Straw Hat Pirates, Post-Dressrosa, could be taken as LawLu pre-slash, hence the tags, mentions of child abuse, mentions of doflamingo, no actual sex takes place
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 17:05:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12657768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teaandtumblr/pseuds/teaandtumblr
Summary: What should be a simple enough question to answer all goes horribly wrong. Sometimes the past should just stay in the past.





	Not The Best Way To Start

**Author's Note:**

> so this was just a quick drabble I churned out and decided to share. There are mentions of past child abuse but nothing graphic; however, still take care when reading.

 

“Oi Law, so...What’s your answer?”

Law looked up from the paper he was reading through over dinner, eyebrows furrowing. “What was the question Zoro-ya?”

He was met with several groans. “ _Come on!_ ” Usopp cried in disbelief. “This has only been one of the most interesting conversations we’ve ever had!”

Law doubted that but he returned his attention to Zoro; he had asked, he was clearly the one looking for an answer. But Zoro just stared at him impassively like he should have been listening. Law could live with that. Impossible to provide an answer to a question he didn’t know.

Unfortunately Nami seemed to realise his game, hands slamming down on the table. “No! You’re not getting out of this that easily!” She sent him a smile that had dread pouring into him. “The question is: what age did you lose your virginity? Mine’s sixteen, since you weren’t listening.”

No, he hadn’t been listening and he very much didn’t _want_ to listen again because what kind of question was that? He supposed to most people it was actually probably a pretty normal one but he wasn’t most people. His answer wasn’t normal, he knew that, but he couldn’t _say_ that. He didn’t want their pity, nor would he actively go looking for it.

“Come on,” Sanji drawled, kicking the side of his chair lightly. “It’s not that hard. I’m seventeen, if that helps.”

“I haven’t had sex at all!” Luffy chimed in, all grins. “And neither has Chopper!”

“I really don’t see why it matters,” Law snapped, folding his arms and glaring off to the side.

_“Torao!”_ Luffy whined. “That’s no fun! Come on, you have to answer! Everyone else did already, really!”

“Are you embarrassed?” Zoro taunted. “Or is it you still haven’t-”

“No need to be embarrassed Torao-guy!” Franky cut in. “Like Brook said, his first time was just below thirty and you know, some people aren’t even into sex so if you haven’t that’s-”

“Oh come on, he would have,” Sanji objected, rolling an eye. “Looking like _that?_ He’d have had them on him since day one.”

How right he was. Too right.

“Come _on_ ,” Nami wheedled, looking away from Usopp and slipping something under the table and were they making bets?! How fitting that his misery would become a game! “I bet it’s-”

“Eleven.”

The entire galley went dead silent, even Luffy instantly adopting a frown. Law got to his feet, setting Kikoku on his shoulder and making for the deck. There, they had their answer. What more could they want from him? After all, eleven made it pretty obvious what had happened. There weren’t too many willing eleven-year-olds. 

“W-what…”

Law blinked in surprise, having expected no one to speak, let alone the Straw Hat’s cowardly sniper. The man was halfway to his feet, meeting his gaze but very much looking like he didn’t want to.

“What happened to them?”

“The Government made him a Warlord.”

With that, he really did leave. Only silence followed him anyway.

 

***

 

Silence reigned for a long time in the galley, the room a stifling mix of too small and too large. Most looked uncomfortable, and the few that didn’t look ashamed. No one knew what to say until Sanji abruptly spun around, kicking a stool across the room.

_“Fuck!”_

It seemed accurate. 

“Sanji-san, you didn’t know,” Brook said, tone consoling. 

Sanji snorted. “No, I didn’t. And that’s what makes it _worse_.” He spread his arms. “We’re all thinking the same thing, right? We’re all thinking this guy was probably Doflamingo.”

“I’d say so, yes,” Robin hummed. “It fits in with the few things Torao-kun has told us.”

Luffy was cracking his knuckles and spitting out “ _Mingo!”_ under his breath across the table but Sanji ignored him. “See? And _I_ was the one who asked him on Dressrosa if he wasn’t making this vendetta against the guy too personally! Of course it was fucking personal! The guy _raped_ him as a child!”

Zoro grit his teeth even as Franky was hissing. They all knew, they’d all connected the dots, but hearing it said aloud like that finally made it feel real. And it was so much worse when it was real. Because how could that have been allowed to happen? How had Doflamingo been granted Warlord immunity after _that?_

“He didn’t want to answer,” Nami was muttering, head in her hands. “I knew he didn’t want to answer. Why didn’t I let it go?”

“Torao…” Luffy stared down at his hands. “Torao said Mingo’s little brother got him out. He was…” His face scrunched up. “He said it was thirteen years ago.”

“Shit,” Zoro swore, reaching for the sake and for once Sanji didn’t try to stop him. Because that was _two years_ and while there was no evidence that Law had been abused the whole time, there also wasn’t any evidence that he _wasn’t_. And that was a fucking long time for a child to go through that. It made Sanji wonder what could have possibly happened to Law before that that made Doflamingo and his crew seem _inviting_. 

“Trafalgar-san has survived a lot of pain,” Brook mused, sipping on his tea quietly, unusually sombre. “Perhaps he prefers his own company so as not to burden others?”

No one answered, the only sound in the room being the slightest rocking from the chair Luffy had just vacated. Nami also started to get to her feet. “Should we…?”

Robin shook her head. “No, let’s leave this to Luffy. He always seems to make things work out, if not in his own way.”

“In his own way is right,” Sanji grumbled, though no one was blind to the small smile on his face. And anyway, the feeling was mutual.

 

***

 

“Oh, there you are.”

Law tensed at the voice but resigned himself. After a proclamation like that, it was fairly obvious he wasn’t going to be left alone. He had been hoping for a little longer than five minutes to dwell on his thoughts. A small part of him had been wishfully thinking that perhaps, _maybe_ , the other members of the Straw Hat crew would have convinced their captain to leave him alone. He snorted to himself. Since when did Luffy _ever_ let himself be convinced after his mind was made up?

Luffy came to stand next to him at the railing, hands curling around the wood so tight his knuckles were white. “We can go to Impel Down.”

Law blinked in surprise before sighing, shifting back against the railing. “No, we couldn’t.”

“Yes we could!” Luffy argued, cheeks puffed out in indignation. “I’ve done it before and that was by myself! With everyone it’d be easy to-”

Law slapped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t be stupid.” He slowly took the hand away, eyes warning. “And besides, the marines would have fixed the holes in their security since that.”

“I’d still do it.” Luffy’s voice was barely a whisper. “I’d do it if Torao asked.”

A small part of him was touched, the rest was resigned. “I won’t ask. It wouldn’t help regardless.”

Luffy tapped his chin thoughtfully. “But if you punched him enough maybe it would!”

Law stifled a huff. “We’ve already seen how me taking him on goes so please refraining from reminding me further, Straw Hat-ya. I’ve moved on.” He _really_ hadn’t but he couldn’t change it either. Moving forward was all he could do.

He expected more protests but there were none, the two captains standing in silence for the next few minutes. It felt comfortable too, not awkward in the way Law would have expected. The sea was inky dark around them, the only light coming from the stars above them and whatever weak glow came from the _Sunny_. It was relaxing really.

Of course it was Luffy who broke the silence but his voice was softer than it’s usual loud cry. “That...Mingo...that’s why you hate people touching you, isn’t it?”

Law was taken aback by the perceptiveness, giving an awkward shrug. “In a way. I have exceptions.”

“Like the bear?” Luffy asked, excitement coming back.

“Yeah, like Bepo,” Law agreed with a small grin. “But, he’s known me for thirteen years.”

“Longer than me,” came the sheepish response. “Is that why you’re always grumpy at me?”

“I…” Law turned away, cheeks flushing. “That...I don’t...I don’t mind so much, if it’s you.”

It was Luffy’s turn to look thoughtful, head cocking to one side. “Torao just wants me to ask first, right? And actually listen when you say no.”

“ _Would_ you listen though?” Law challenged.

That earnt him a light punch to the shoulder. “ _Hey!_ I can listen if I know it’s important! But you can’t be stingy and say ‘no’ all the time either! That’s cheating!”

Cheating at what, Law didn’t know. Still, the comment pulled a smile out of him, which he immediately had to hide, tugging Luffy’s hat down over his eyes. “Fine. Deal, Straw Hat-ya.”

Luffy’s eyes shone as he scrambled to pull his hat up. “Really?” And Law’s reluctant nod, he launched himself into his arms, laughing as Law half-heartedly tried to push him away. “You haven’t said no!”

No, he hadn’t. He didn’t think he was going to either. Not now, not ever.

 

***

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it; comments and kudos are appreciated. :))) .xx Dan


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